The Quiet Before the Storm
by bcandylandgirl

Part 5

As Sonny sat there on the docks quietly in thought, a slight smile graced his lips at what he had done. Alexis may never know that he had helped her, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that for once he was able to make a good decision for his child and her mother. He knew Alexis wouldn’t take his help if he offered it, but he did know that if he told Judge Griffin about Alexis’ situation, she would be more than willing to help in any way that she could. And he was right. He would never do anything as dishonest as bribing a judge when it came to Alexis. If it were his life on the line he would pay someone off in a heartbeat to get off, but he knew that if he did that with Alexis, she would never forgive him. Breaking the law for her would be unforgivable. He just made sure Alexis had the most sympathetic judge to hear her case. Someone who wasn’t in Scott Baldwin’s back pocket.

When he heard the good news that Alexis was free of the charges he was happier than he had been in months. “Who can I celebrate with?” Knowing that no one in his inner circle were exactly the biggest fans of Alexis, he decided to take the next step he needed to get his life back. He needed to visit his baby girl.

And that’s where they’re love affair began. The moment he laid eyes on his baby girl he knew she would forever be the love of his life. She was his heart, and he knew he could deny her nothing.

Looking back at the past two months Sonny could only laugh at the moments he shared with his daughter. What would his enemies think if they could see the big bad mobster Sonny Corinthos wrapped around an infants finger? Sonny didn’t even want to think about this. But he knew that things would soon be better for the people around him. Things were already starting to calm down. Without Faith and Ned trying to take him down he could finally take a deep breath and not worry about who’s around the corner waiting to shoot him. Ned had suddenly decided to back off, his reasons were unknown at first. But a few weeks after he had disappeared from town Lois had called Sonny, telling him about how Ned had showed up in Brooklyn. Ned had rented a place nearby to the Cerullo’s, and spent a little time everyday with his daughter, making a conscious effort to get to know her. Sonny wouldn’t be surprised in the least if this new connection brought Ned and Lois back together. He may not like Ned, but Sonny knew how important family was, and if they can find happiness together, then far be it from him to interfere. Besides, he had learned his lesson with the Jason and Courtney fiasco.

At first, Sonny had fought with everything he had to keep Jason and Courtney apart. He wanted her safe, she was his little sister after all. But he had to come to grips with the fact that she was a grown up. She was free to make her own choices. No matter how hard Sonny tried to deny this he knew it was his problem to deal with. If Courtney was willing to take the risk of being with Jason then who was he to stop her? Seeing the fire in his sister’s eyes when she repeatedly defied his orders, the truth finally sank in. To keep them apart was cruel and he knew it. You love who you love, you can’t help it. You don’t choose them, they chose you. If anyone knew what this felt like it was Sonny. Sonny had made a choice almost a year ago to love someone, but afterwards he listened to his head and not his heart and let true love get away from him. From then on he vowed that even if he couldn’t get back what he had found, then he would at least not stand in the way of anyone else’s happiness. He had chosen the careful route and had to deal with the consequences.

Then there was Faith. The most stubborn of all. She had tried to go after Sonny alone after Ned had severed their partnership. But alas, she soon found out that she needed money to do it, money she didn’t have anymore without Ned. Even Edward had backed out of the deal when Ned had turned ELQ back over to him. Edward was back at the helm again, where he felt he belonged. Getting back at Sonny no longer held its appeal. Edward might still try and go after the “mobster” as he called Sonny, in the future, but not any time soon. For Edward, getting Michael back would be futile. Even if they won custody of the child, he had spent far too much time with the Corinthos family to ever really feel at home with them. Edward had other things to think about right now. Taking back his place as head of the family had preoccupied his time, as well as trying to regain his relationship with his granddaughter Emily after she returned to town.

Sonny was content with his life now. He knew that soon his enemies wouldn’t bat an eye to even think that he would re-enter their world. After looking into the eyes of his children, Michael and Kristina, he knew that he didn’t want either of them growing up in a world full of violence. The decision to let go of his territory was all at once an easy one. He had met with the five families over the last few weeks. They had all agreed on his decision to divide his territory amongst themselves in exchange for Sonny and his family’s protection, with the bonus that he could keep his legitimate businesses such as the island hotels and casinos. As he thought about what could have happened if things went wrong, he gave a much-needed sigh of relief. Things could have gone a lot worse, but so far they hadn’t, and for that he was truly grateful. He was still hassled by Taggert every now and then, but he knew sooner or later the cop would move on. Taggert would soon see that there was nothing there. Sonny no longer had reason to be hauled down to the PCPD. He was now on the up and up, totally legit. He could now breathe freely without wondering who was lurking around the corner, or waiting for him in an alley. To say he was very happy with the outcome was an understatement. Besides, what did he need with power any more? He wasn’t that little boy trapped in the closet anymore. He could fight back now. He wasn’t helpless. He was a man. A man with responsibilities that included keeping his family safe. All of his family safe, whether they considered themselves apart of him or not. Not another drop of blood would be shed because of him.

As Sonny looked out into the dark night, he was grateful for two things; Alexis and his daughter were safe, and his son Michael was still apart of his life. Carly may try her best to hate Sonny, but she knew that Michael would always need Sonny, and that’s one relationship she would never try to kill. “I may never get to be a real father to Kristina, but she WILL always be apart of me. Even if I have to love her from afar. The only thing that warms my heart right now, is knowing that I will always have my son. I can’t replace one child with another. I wouldn’t want to, or even try to. But I can give Michael, the one child in my life right now, all my love, and let him know that he will always be wanted and loved by me, no matter what.”

“Alexis, did you ever think that maybe things between you and Sonny could work out? I mean obviously you two were close once. You do share Kristina after all,” he said, bringing a smile to her face.

“Touché.”

“You know I’m right Alexis. I may not have been here when you two were on speaking terms, but I can see how he affects you. You wouldn’t be nearly this upset if he were just some past lover. You still care for him.” Looking down as if it physically hurt him to say so, he continued. “You should go look for him. Tell him how you feel. Tell him about Kristina. At the very least let him be apart of your daughter’s life. He’s already missed so much. You will never know if you two still stand a chance if you don’t take a leap of faith. Faith is what life is all about. Sometimes you have to put your fears aside and go after what you want. That’s the most important lesson I want you to take away with the time we have spent together. Sonny may surprise you. People change. You certainly have, and maybe he has too. You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Moving closer to her, he took hold of her hand. Wiping away the few tears that have escaped her eyes, he looks at her, willing her to be strong. “Maybe a year ago you weren’t ready to be together. Maybe the timing was off. All things happen for a reason Alexis. You can’t be afraid of life. Things may not always go according to what you plan, but at least you will know that you have given your best.”

“That all sounds wonderful Cameron. In theory it makes sense, but me and Sonny are not sensible people,” she said half jokingly.

“I have to agree with you.” He said as he smiled at her. “Any man that tangles with the lovely Ms. Davis would have to be a little eccentric.”

“Hey buster!” she said, playfully swatting him in the chest.

Laughing at the appalled look on Alexis face, he takes hold of her hand again as it rests against him. “But I mean that with the highest compliment in mind. Any man would be crazy not to love you.”

Dimples all ablaze, a true smile graced Alexis’ face at Cameron’s admission. Her mock look of anger now gone. “Thank you Cameron. Really, thank you. You have been my rock throughout all of this. And I hope I can still count on you as a friend even when this whole mess is over with.”

“Your quite welcome Alexis, you can always count on me. Indeed.”

Seeing that the hour was becoming late, Cameron stood and pulled Alexis up to him. “You had better be getting home Alexis. The hour is getting late. Let me drive you home.”

“No Cameron. Thanks for the offer, but I still need some time to think. The walk will do me good.”

Knowing it was better no to force the issue, he let it go.

“So you’ll think about what I said Alexis?” he said, his smile coming out in full form.

A half exasperated look came across her face. “Yes Cameron, I’ll think about it. But I’m not making any promises. I don’t see myself making that leap anytime soon. Especially where me and Sonny’s relationship is concerned. But I will think of something as far as Sonny and our daughter is concerned. That is something I do need to make right. I just need some time to think about what I’m going to do.”

Walking towards the door, she opened it and peered into the night. Looking back she said, “Good bye Cameron, see ya next week.” And with a quick wink to her friend, she turned and closed the door.

“Goodbye Alexis,” he said, rather strained. “In more ways than one.”

part 6